Burned area and fuel load mapping in a protected area situated in the Brazilian Cerrado, using linear spectral unmixing model

In order to evaluate the effects of fire in the Indigenous Land denominated Xerente, situated in the Brazilian State of Tocantins, the linear spectral unmixing model (LSUM) was applied in orbital images of the optical satellite Sentinel-2/MSI to estimate the dry and green vegetation, soil and burned areas fractions that constitute study area. The imagery was processed in the free software SNAP, provided by the European Space Agency – ESA. The modeling captured an extent of ~54,000 hectares (32%) of burned areas. The fuel load mapping detected ~55,000 hectares (33%) of the dry vegetation element, ~47,000 hectares (28%) of green vegetation and ~10,000 hectares (6%) of the soil component. The modeling’s results were considered suitable when compared to photographs taken in loco. Therefore, the LSUM was considered effective in the evaluation of fire management efforts in the Brazilian Cerrado.